Posts made by Caryatid

And another update. Back to a 2e game, and trying something new with a psychic vampire. Go go, redhead squad!

I think it works best when the system accounts for social started beasts being allowed and able to affect the environment. Combat monsters might be able to punch through your face. Social monsters can make a phonecall and suddenly the local police are tweeting that you're being sought for petting underage puppies, suspect is armed and dangerous, if seen please call Crimestoppers for the thousand dollar reward. Social characters should be liked by and in the world, and have the influence to absolutely wreck someone's life from a distance in the same way a physical sort can wreck their life close up. But most games don't account for, support or encourage that sort of play either.

I have in the past on multiple occasions had first meetings follow the "escaping a terrible date by pretending this unknown PC is a friend I haven't seen in years". It's a fun way to meet new folks and seeing how people react to it is a good indicator on how well the player grabs hooks that are throw at them.

Sure, there are ways to try to game it. However if the game starts with it in place and that is the accepted, known, and understood culture, then it becomes the norm and people trying to exploit the system are not going to have shadows to hide in for very long. With good staff, attentive staff, non-defensive or burnt out staff, it creates a transparent setting. Players know that if there's something bothering them, at the very least there is a venue in which they will be heard. Staff know that there is a venue allowing them to keep track of what's been said and done so it nips staff shopping or favouring their friends in the bud. There is a place to post if new wrinkles turn up in a situation.

Yes, there will still be players who are like "I don't knoooow, maybe this isn't worth posting", but those are the same players who usually chime in after the fact when someone else makes a complaint.

Yes, there will be people like Spider who pick and choose their complaints for maximum effect, but with it all right out there in front of staff and players alike, the pattern can be spotted and it limits how much on the ground among the players politicking those jerkfaces can do because again... public venue, the other side /will be posted/.

The older I get, the less tolerant I am of having staff-side/player-side behind different veils. We should be fostering and supporting empathy between the two sides because they're the same pool of players, dang it.

This is why I am fond of the idea of a discipline board. When complaints are made, they get posted directly to the board; those who have had similar experiences then know they can come forward because they weren't just imagining it or blowing a situation out of proportion. When complaints are resolved, the process is posted. When bannings happen, it goes up on the board with the reasons detailed. Patterns can be more easily seen in the people making complaints and those earning them. Staff are all on the same page about who's upset about what instead of things getting lost in poor communication. People can see immediately what is unacceptable on the game. Players can see that staff will be completely transparent about wrongdoing done on the game, including complaints made against them. Staff have a place to easily present their take on things and showcase their problem-solving skills and willingness to deal with the shit that comes up on games.

Put it all out there.

@Ganymede makes a good point. I've been that person who hasn't spoken up to staff because of past experiences with shitty reactions when trying to fix a perceived problem. I've also been that annoying person who goes stomping up to staff on behalf of others because they're too shy, or not brave enough, or have been burned one too many times and don't have the energy to make the attempt themselves.

I'd say 9 times out of 10 when something shitty happens on a game, it is discussed. Maybe not too or with staff but it's talked about. That means it's possible to learn about it somehow. Good staffers keep their doors open and their ears to the ground because they understand that there are a thousand reasons for players to not immediately speak up, and because they understand that while some will vote with their feet, others will keep their heads down and stay, and they want to make things better for those who do.

I don't have a dedicated coder in my pocket or even the minimal amount of time I'd want to put towards staffing a game. I do have two partially completed game write-ups for games which do incorporate some of those elements though. One of them was discussed here on MSB (@vanderlylle and I posted an interest check here: http://musoapbox.net/topic/1169/interest-check-single-sphere-vtr-game?page=1 ) and the other is a mortal+ with supers as NPCs in Savannah concept. One day they might go live, who knows.

@Tempest

You're wrong. I was in the conference call, on my phone in voice chat with the other staff and Shav when she made the decision to shut the game down. People were willing to take over the game. Shav knew this. She chose to shut it down anyway because she did not want others to take over her baby, as was her right.

You're also letting your hate-on for a game you played very briefly to blind you to the fact that there are aspects of RfK that, if adjusted and supported by the right code, would make an incredible single sphere vampire game. People are not saying remake RfK and run it the way Shav did. They are saying "take these elements and incorporate them into other games".

@skew She better be, she got a pretty cool player.

@Cupcake She might have been the only one! Venice was crazypants whether she was wearing pants or not. But I <3ed her. And it was really, really sad to lose her before I was ready to give up playing her, but them's the breaks.

@Ominous I personally would prefer an original theme mutant game. I don't want to just be an audience or play a minor satellite for FCs, or play someone else's concept in the long-run. The OC VS FC spats you see on comic- and movie-themed hero games get pretty nasty too. But anecdotally speaking as someone who has played on any number of mutant-themed games, I feel I'm in the minority. I think it comes down to whether whether a game creator aiming for original mutunts/superheroes can be happy with a smaller playerbase. Maybe 10-20 players at most.

Updated again. I just can't help myself.

It's going to depend on the player and how well they receive the attempt. I've had it go both ways when I've put myself out there to offer advice and feedback. Sometimes you get thanked, sometimes you're brushed off as a dino with too much baggage to bring anything worthwhile to the constructive table. Do you feel like coping with the fallout if they take it badly? If your answer is no, let it go.

@Sparks ...I don't know what you just said. To the old farts corner with me!

@Sparks I am so not cool enough to be a galactic magic cartoon babe. Must confer with @Meg.

@Sparks Wait those are Sailor whatevers?

I want in on the grumpy old fart faction.

@Ganymede Some of the pages are up on the wiki if you want to take a gander. Caroline, Grace, Jamie so far.

@surreality

...

Did you seriously just...?

I've given into peer pressure and rolled through chargen at Fifth Kingdom. Once she's approved, I'll be trying out Grainne.